IGCSE Cambridge (CIE) Physics 2 hours 15 questions

Theory Questions

Sound
Sound Waves / Measuring the Speed of Sound / Effects of Sound Waves /
Ultrasound

Easy (5 questions) /49 Scan here to return to the course

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Medium (5 questions) /34

Hard (5 questions) /43

Total Marks /126

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Easy Questions
1 (a) A healthy human ear can hear a range of frequencies.

Three frequency ranges are shown.

Draw a ring around the range for a healthy human ear.

0 Hz − 20 Hz 10 Hz − 10 000 Hz 20 Hz − 20 000 Hz

(1 mark)

(b) Explain the meaning of the term ultrasound.

(2 marks)

(c) A student listens to two different sounds, P and Q.

The two different sounds are represented on a computer screen on the same scale.

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 Fig. 8.1 shows the screens.

State and explain how sound P is different from sound Q.

(3 marks)

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2 (a) The boxes contain words about waves.

Complete each sentence. Choose a term from each box.

(i)

an electromagnetic a longitudinal a transverse

Sound travels as .............................................. wave.

[1]

(ii)

amplitude pitch speed wavelength

A loud sound has a large .............................................. .

[1]

(iii)

amplitude pitch speed wavelength

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 A student listens to two sounds. The sound with the higher frequency has a higher
.............................................. .

[1]

(3 marks)

(b) Explain what is meant by the term ultrasound.

(2 marks)

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3 (a) Sound travels as a wave.

Complete each sentence.

Sound is produced when an object .............................. .

An echo is produced when sound is .............................. from a hard surface.

Compared with a quiet sound, a loud sound always has a greater ........................... .

Compared with a high pitched sound, a low pitched sound always has a smaller
....................... .

Waves transfer energy without transferring ................................ .

(5 marks)

(b) State the meaning of the term ultrasound.

(1 mark)

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4 (a) Fig. 6.1 shows crests of a sound wave after reflection from a solid surface.

Fig 6.1

In Fig. 6.1, draw three crests of the incident wave.

(3 marks)

(b) Tick four statements in the list below that are false for a sound wave that is audible to a
healthy human ear.

The wave is longitudinal. □

The wave is transverse. □

The frequency of the wave is 1 Hz. □

The frequency of the wave is 1 kHz. □

The frequency of the wave is 1 MHz. □

The wave travels in a vacuum. □

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 The wave could travel in aluminium. □

(3 marks)

(c) State a typical value for the speed of a sound wave in water.

(1 mark)

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5 (a) The speed of sound waves can be measured in different ways.

State a reasonable value for the speed of sound in air which the calculations resulting
from any experimental method should find.

(2 marks)

(b) One method to find the speed of sound in air involves two people who stand a distance
apart and then measure the time a sound takes to travel between them, as shown in Fig.
1.

(i) For this investigation, complete the sentences describing the method.

1. Two people stand a distance of at least _____ apart.

2. The distance between them is measured using a _______

3. One person has two wooden blocks, which they bang together above their head.

4. The second person has a _______ which they start when they see the first person
banging the blocks together and stops when they hear the sound.

5. This is then ________ several times and an ______ is taken for the time.

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 [5]

(ii) State the equation used to calculate the speed of sound following this investigation.

[1]

(6 marks)

(c) Another method to find the speed of sound in air uses echoes as shown in Fig. 2.

(i) For this investigation, complete the sentences describing the method.

1. A person stands at least _____ away from a wall

2. The distance is measured using a ______

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 3. The person claps two wooden blocks together and listens for the echo.

4. A second person has a stopwatch and starts timing when they hear the _____ and
stops timing when they hear the ______

5. This is then ________ several times and an ______ is taken for the time.

[6]

(ii) State the equation used to calculate the speed of sound following this investigation.

[1]

(7 marks)

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(d) A third method to find the speed of sound in air uses as oscilloscope, as shown in Fig. 3.

(i) For this investigation, complete the sentences describing the method.

1. Two ______ are connected to an oscilloscope and placed about _______ apart

2. A ______ is used to measure the distance

3. The oscilloscope is set up so that it triggers when the _______ microphone detects a
sound

4. The time base is adjusted so that the sound arriving at both microphones can be
seen on the screen

5. Two wooden blocks are used to make a large clap next to the ______ microphone

6. The oscilloscope is then used to determine the ________ between the sound arriving
at each microphone

7. This is ________ several times and an _______ time difference calculated

[8]

(ii) Complete the equation used to calculate the speed of sound following this
investigation.

...................
speed of sound =
...................

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 [2]

(10 marks)

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Medium Questions
1 (a) Fig. 8.1 shows a tuning fork and a wooden block.

(i) The tuning fork is hit against the wooden block and then makes a sound.

Describe how the tuning fork produces the sound.

[1]

(ii) The tuning fork produces a sound with a frequency of 659Hz.

State whether a healthy human ear can hear this frequency of sound.

Explain your answer.

[2]

(3 marks)

(b) Fig. 8.2 represents the sound wave produced by a tuning fork.

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A second tuning fork produces a different sound.

Compared with the sound represented in Fig. 8.2, this sound is quieter and has half the
frequency.

On Fig. 8.2, draw the wave to show the sound produced by the second tuning fork.

(2 marks)

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2 (a) A vibrating source on a ship produces a sound wave that travels through the ocean. The
wave produced is a longitudinal wave.

Explain what is meant by the term longitudinal wave.

(3 marks)

(b) Extended tier only

The frequency of the sound wave is 800Hz.

(i) The speed of sound in air is 330m/s.

State a typical value for the speed of sound in a liquid.

[1]

(ii) Using your value from (b)(i), calculate the wavelength of the sound wave in the ocean.

wavelength = ...........................................................[2]

(3 marks)

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3 (a) A boat race starts on the sea, but close to land. Fig. 9.1 shows the boats at the start of
the race.

On the land, a cannon produces a loud bang to start the race. There is a flash of light at
the same time as the bang.

(i) At the start of the race, the sailors watch for the flash of light from the cannon.

Suggest why the sailors watch for the flash of light rather than listen for the bang.

[1]

(ii) One of the sailors is 500 m from the cannon. She measures a time difference of 1.6
seconds between seeing the flash of light and hearing the bang.

Calculate the speed of sound.

speed of sound = ................................................ m/s [3]

(iii) The value of the speed of sound obtained in (a)(ii) is lower than expected.

Suggest a reason for this difference.

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 [1]

(5 marks)

(b) The race is held close to a part of the coast with high cliffs. A sailor hears a second bang
shortly after the first bang.

State the term for the second bang and explain how it is produced.

(2 marks)

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4 (a) Complete the sentences about sound. Use words from the box above each sentence.

(i)

glows reflects refracts vibrates

Sound is produced when a source ..............................................

[1]

(ii)

electromagnetic longitudinal transverse

Sound waves are .............................................. waves.

[1]

(iii)

metal vacuum liquid

Sound waves cannot travel through a ..............................................

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 [1]

(3 marks)

(b) Humans, elephants, mice and dolphins have different hearing ranges. Fig. 8.1 shows the
hearing range for each type of animal.

(i) State the lowest frequency of sound that can be heard by mice.

.......................Hz [1]

(ii) State the highest frequency of sound that can be heard by elephants.

.......................Hz [1]

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(iii) Explain how the chart shows that elephants can hear some sounds that humans
cannot hear.

[2]

(iv) State the term given to the high frequencies that dolphins can hear but humans
cannot hear.

[1]

(5 marks)

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5 (a) Extended tier only

Fig. 6.1 represents a sound wave of wavelength 0.45m travelling from left to right.

On Fig. 6.1:

(i) at the centre of a compression, mark a cross and label it C.

[1]

(ii) at the centre of a rarefaction, mark a cross and label it R.

[1]

(iii) draw a double-headed arrow to represent a distance of 0.90 m.

[1]

(3 marks)

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(b) The frequency of the wave is 750 Hz.

Calculate the speed of the wave.

speed = ...........................................................

(2 marks)

(c) Extended tier only

Suggest a medium through which the sound wave is travelling and state your reasoning.

(1 mark)

(d) Another type of wave that consists of compressions and rarefactions is ultrasound.

(i) State one other similarity between sound of frequency 750 Hz and ultrasound.

[1]

(ii) State one way in which sound of frequency 750 Hz is different from ultrasound.

[1]

(2 marks)

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Hard Questions
1 (a) A student is listening to the sound produced by a tuning fork.

(i) State how the tuning fork produces the sound.

[1]

(ii) State the type of wave a sound wave is.

[1]

(iii) A loudspeaker produces a sound with a frequency of 25 kHz.

A student with healthy ears cannot hear this sound. Explain why.

[2]

(4 marks)

(b) Fig. 8.2 represents a sound wave travelling in air.

(i) The air particles are moving. On Fig. 8.2, draw two arrows in opposite directions to
show the movement of the air particles.

[1]

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 (ii) Use Fig. 8.2 to determine the wavelength of the sound wave.

wavelength = ...................................................... cm [1]

(2 marks)

(c) Describe a method of using water waves to demonstrate refraction.

(4 marks)

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2 (a) This question is about measuring the speed of sound in air.

A student stands in front of a large wall. She hits a drum and hears an echo. Fig. 8.1
shows the position of the student and the wall.

(i) State the name of a piece of equipment for measuring the distance from the student
to the wall.

[1]

(ii) Explain how sound forms an echo.

[1]

(2 marks)

(b) The student hits her drum repeatedly once per second. She walks away from the wall
and listens for the echo. When the student is 170m from the wall she hears the echo
from one beat of the drum at the same time as the next beat of the drum.

Use this information to determine the speed of sound. State the unit.

speed = ..........................................................

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 (4 marks)

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3 (a) A source of sound has frequency f. Sound of wavelength λ is produced by the source.

(i) State what is meant by the frequency of the source.

[1]

(ii) State the distance moved, in terms of the wavelength, λ by a wavefront during n
oscillations of the source.

[1]

(2 marks)

(b) Use your answers from part (a) to derive the wave equation.

(3 marks)

(c) The waveform of a sound wave produced on the screen of a cathode-ray oscilloscope

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(c.r.o.) is shown in Fig. 1.

Each 1 cm division on the horizontal axis of the c.r.o. screen represents 2.0 ms.

Determine the frequency of the sound wave.

(2 marks)

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4 (a) Extended tier only

An ultrasound medical scanning device generates ultrasound waves at a frequency of 2.5

MHz.

The speed of ultrasound in air = 350 m/s

The speed of ultrasound in the soft tissues of the body = 1550 m/s.

Explain why the speed of ultrasound in soft tissue is faster than in air.

(3 marks)

(b) Calculate the wavelength of the ultrasound waves emitted as they pass through

(i) Air

[3]

(ii) Soft tissue

[1]

(4 marks)

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(c) Extended tier only

Shorter wavelengths allow for higher resolution, meaning that more and smaller details
can been imaged using ultrasound.

Use your knowledge of sound and other waves to explain why radiologists may not use
the shortest wavelengths possible when scanning patients.

(3 marks)

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5 (a) The text describes the process by which scientists worked towards the current accepted
value for the speed of sound.

Read the text then answer the questions relating to it.

Measuring the speed of sound in air

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 1 After the wave nature of sound had been identified, many attempts were made
to measure its speed in air.

The earliest known attempt was made by the French scientist Gassendi in the
17th century.

Gassendi timed the interval between seeing the flash of a gun and hearing the
bang from some distance away.

He assumed that, compared with the speed of sound, the speed of light is
infinite.

5 Gassendi concluded that the speed of sound was 480 m/s.

A much better value of 350 m/s was obtained by the Italian physicists Borelli and
Viviani using the same procedure.

In 1738 a value of 332 m/s was obtained by scientists in Paris.

This is remarkably close to the currently accepted value considering the

measuring equipment available to the scientists at that time.

In 1740 another Italian, Bianconi, showed that sound travels faster when the
temperature of the air is greater.

10 Since 1986 the accepted value for the speed of sound has been 331.29 m/s at 0
°C.

Explain why Gassendi needed to assume that ‘compared with the speed of sound, the
speed of light is infinite’ (line 4).

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 (2 marks)

(b) Use Gassendi’s value for the speed of sound (line 5) to calculate the time between seeing
the flash of a gun and hearing the sound if the observer was standing 2.5 km from the
gun.

time = ____________________ s

(3 marks)

(c) The value obtained by Borelli and Viviani is described as being ‘much better’ than that
obtained by Gassendi (line 6).

Explain why modern writers would judge this result as 'much better'.

(1 mark)

(d) The passage refers to Bianconi's discovery that the speed of sound in air depends on
temperature (line 9).

The equation to find the speed of sound in dry air can be written

c = k (θ + 273 . 15)

Where θ is the temperature in °C, and k is a constant.

Calculate a value for k using data from the passage. You do not need to give units for k.

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 (4 marks)

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